NASCAR chaplain speaks at rehab center

Saturday

May 18, 2013 at 3:00 AM

The theme for the month at Hendersonville Health and Rehab has been NASCAR. The outside wall and windows of the dining area are covered in NASCAR-related themes. And to celebrate that theme, the medical facility brought in NASCAR royalty.

By JOEY MILLWOODTimes-News Staff Writer

The theme for the month at Hendersonville Health and Rehab has been NASCAR. The outside wall and windows of the dining area are covered in NASCAR-related themes. And to celebrate that theme, the medical facility brought in NASCAR royalty.John Earnhardt, cousin of racing legend Dale EarnhaStoryName:H0518Earnhardt, entertained a crowd on Friday afternoon. Earnhardt, an Edneyville resident, is the pastor at Seventh Day Adventist Church on Upward Road. He shared stories about growing up with his famous cousin, who died in a crash in February 2001, but also shared his own testimony.Earnhardt also serves as a chaplain on the NASCAR circuit. He told the crowd that he skipped a weekend in Charlotte to come and speak to them.“I'd rather be here with you than at the race track,” he told them, to applause. While Dale Earnhardt was getting into racing, John was living life in the fast line with drugs and alcohol. He came home one night and his wife was sitting on the bed reading a Bible. He asked what she was doing and she began reading scripture to him. That moment changed his life. He went outside and prayed for God to change his life.With alcohol and drugs behind him, John Earnhardt began a new life that led to him being an ordained pastor in 1979 — the same year that Dale was winning NASCAR's Rookie of the Year. While Dale was earning the nickname “the Intimidator,” John Earnhardt was busy earning the nickname, “the Evangelator,” he joked. He didn't just share stories about his life with Dale, but mentioned his interaction with other drivers on the circuit. People in the stands were interested in an array of drivers including Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Jimmy Johnson and Tony Stewart. The crowd interacted and chimed in with their own stories. Their smiles are why Earnhardt does the speaking engagements.“Whenever I can help somebody or encourage somebody, that's what it's all about,” he said. “(Using NASCAR) is just a neat way to share.”Sandy Anderson, a social worker at the rehab center, was thrilled at how the event turned out. She found Earnhardt through a friend and reached out because it fit perfectly into the center's theme.The center is raising money all month for the “Drive to End Hunger,” which is a program through the Jeff Gordon Foundation that provides food for seniors who have to decide between medicines and meals each month.“They can't afford both,” Anderson said. To donate to the cause, call the rehabilitation center at 828-693-8600 or email Anderson at sanderson@sanstonehealth.com.Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.

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